It's that time of year again. The year has flown by and Christmas shopping is in full swing.

This year I'm hoping to take in a couple of markets around Europe, but my first first visit to a European market was to the Frankfurt Market in Birmingham. We went on a Saturday (Family Day) and once again you could hardly move for the crowds of people trying to go in opposite direction. We didn't buy much but it was worth going for the Christmas atmosphere and the food and drink on offer.